The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2010

August 1, 2010 by Nekkidblogger · 1 Comment
Filed under: About books, CWA Dagger Award, Fiction, Prize winning novel, recommendation

This is an award sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd.

The Steel Dagger is awarded for the best thriller published in the UK. So what is a thriller? A thriller, according to my dictionary, is an exciting, suspenseful play or story, such as a mystery story. So even though award this is sponsored by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, which most likely is an organization related to the author of the James Bond books, it is not limited to and does not even give preference to spy thrillers. This is strange, but of course something which the sponsor decides.

And, indeed, the definition used is very broad, according to CWA:

“include, but are not limited to, spy fiction and/or action/ adventure stories. Ian Fleming said there was one essential criterion for a good thriller – that ‘one simply has to turn the page’; this is one of the main characteristics that the judges were looking for.” — The CWA Dagger

Personally, I am only somewhat OK with that. But only somewhat. The problem I see when I look at this and the other shortlists for this year’s daggers is that in practice this dagger overlaps considerably with the other daggers awarded by the CWA. And overlap means thing become muddled and unclear and open to multiple interpretations.

To me it looks a little bit odd and untidy – almost like the Steel Dagger is a little brother award. In order to avoid that appearance, I think CWA needs to distinguish much more clearly (e.g. by genre) among its various awards. At least, I would like to suggest they look into this.

Be that as it may, here are the shortlists for the 2010 CWA Steel Dagger:

61 Hours, Lee Child
A Loyal Spy, Simon Conway
Gone, Mo Hayder
Slow Horses, Mick Herron
The Dying Light, Henry Porter
Innocent, Scott Turow
The Gentlemen’s Hour, Don Winslow

These are all great books and authors. I have read five of them so far. My personal favorites are A Loyal Spy by Simon Conway and Slow Horses by Mich Herron, and I think they ought to win because they are spy thrillers – which is what I think this Dagger should be dedicated to.

My sentimental favorite is The Gentlemen’s Hour by Don Winslow – simply because it is such a wonderful read and such a neat, well-written and smart book. I like his surfer detective and the laid-back plegmatic style of his book.

(See also review of Gone by Mo Hayder.)

Tags: CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2010, Don Winslow, Mo Hayder, shortlist, viewpoints